Patriots open facility after shutting down due to positive COVID-19 test, will hold walkthrough Saturday
The facility underwent a deep cleaning and sanitizing overnight before players came back for testing and the walkthrough.
Game on.
The Patriots will host the Broncos as scheduled (or rescheduled) Sunday at 1 p.m., barring any late changes, which is always possible this season, per league source.
The club was set to conduct a walkthrough at Gillette Stadium Saturday, which is normal operating procedure on the day before the game and hold virtual meetings that night.
The Broncos were still on course to fly to New England Saturday, according to a league source.
Players who were in the facility were sent home and practice was canceled Friday after offensive lineman James Ferentz became the fifth Patriot placed on the COVID-19 reserve list after returning a positive test.
The facility underwent a deep cleaning and sanitizing overnight before players came back for testing and the walkthrough.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spoke before Friday’s practice was canceled and said adjusting on the fly is a way of life this season and he applauded how Bill Belichick has guided the franchise’s through the unpredictability brought on by the pandemic.
“I think honestly this is adaptability at its finest and really focusing on the things that you can control,” McDaniels said. “There are certainly a lot of things right now, a lot of factors and variables that are outside of our control. I know the things that we can focus on and control are our own actions, the way that we use the protocols properly to make sure that we keep ourselves safe, our families safe, and each other safe. I don’t know if there’s a manual a coach is going to be able to write about handling the medical part of this. I just know that down the road, you know, certainly there’s been a number of coaches that have demonstrated great ability to adjust, to adapt, and really the great coaches that I know — and certainly we’re following Bill [Belichick]’s lead because he’s doing a tremendous job of it — is just keeping us on the things that we can do and the action points that we need to really adhere to and the way that we need to behave.”
Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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